The British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) was announced as part of the Industrial Strategy to cut electricity costs for British manufacturers, strengthening competitiveness and protecting skilled jobs.
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Eligible businesses will be exempt from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation, Feed-in Tariffs and the Capacity Market, worth up to £40 per MWh, with exemptions reaching bills from April 2027. They will also receive an additional payment in 2027 to reflect the support businesses would have received had the scheme been in operation earlier.
To qualify, a business must be registered at Companies House, operate in an eligible sector, manufacture eligible products at a site in Great Britain, and use at least 33 MWh of grid-supplied electricity a year at that site.
Applications are now open and close on 30 November 2026. There is only one application round a year and applications cannot be amended once submitted, so businesses are encouraged to start early and apply in good time.
Getting started is straightforward. Start with the eligibility checker on GOV.UK to see whether your business is likely to be eligible, read the business guidance to understand evidence requirements and apply today.
BIST is also hosting webinars on 13 October: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/c291dfc7-0c39-47fc-9b3a-cd715a13d8c8@8fa217ec-33aa-46fb-ad96-dfe68006bb86 and 17 November: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3fee725f-4833-4048-b23b-1796b63c0dd9@8fa217ec-33aa-46fb-ad96-dfe68006bb86 if you want to find out more.
It takes minutes to check whether your business is likely to be eligible using the eligibility checker https://check-eligibility-for-bics.service.gov.uk/check on GOV.UK - then apply today.
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